Imagine an average woman with a high paying job at a well-known company, isn't that impressive in a way? It would be more impressive if you found out she was still very young, still in her twenties. Won't tell you the specific age though, just because.
This woman was smart and talented, with the looks that would make a man stop their car while driving. Long midnight hair with a curly form, soft pale skin, and light brown eyes. You would think of her as a carefree and fun person if you judged her by looks.
Like the lesson goes: You must never judge a book by their cover. This saying applies to this young woman, because deep down she was a troubled girl. Just like thousands of other children in the world she grew up without parents and un-adopted, with no family to call her own.
So with the help of the orphanage money she was able to go to school, but of course they never had to pay for school again when she kept on emerging as top in class. In the schools she went to, the one in first honors would receive free education.
One would say that she was truly an accomplished woman, what with her PhD, good job, amazing home, and talents but in her mind she was still incomplete. She was tired of her lonely life, and was starting to become hazy.
Yes she had accomplished her dream in getting out of the orphanage, so what was she to do now? She had no other dreams, so what should she do next? Continue life day by day with the same routine that would perhaps maybe drive her insane in the near future?
She didn't want that kind of life.
This woman was a type of person who didn't like to live in huge mansions because it was just a waste of space if there would only be one living there, and so she decided that she would live in a normal sized apartment. Although cheap, it still had a very nice decorative look.
One night when she was coming back to her home, she tiredly dumped herself on the bed to sleep. When you were working overtime of course you would feel exhausted, if you didn't then you should be considered as an energy monster.
As she slept soundly on the comfy foam and pillows, she started to dream. It was a dream so vivid that it seemed as if it was reality itself.
This was one of those dreams where you knew you were dreaming, but more realistic.
She awoke on a bed covered in straw, and was surprised to feel it. The room was unfamiliar to her, but it was the kind you would see as a small abandoned room.
Wanting to explore, she stood up from the straw bed and started to walk around. The building that she was inside of was actually pretty big, probably the size of a mini mansion.
The more she looked around the more familiar the place started to become, and it wasn't until she went back to the place she woke that she realized what was so strange. This place had the same structure as the orphanage she had grew up in, except for the decor.
The woman stared around her in shock, but cleared her mind. Perhaps if she headed to the exit she would find something that would make sense, but instead she found a group of children huddled up together.
There were seven of them and they all shared one thin blanket, it was a very pitiful sight. They ranged in different ages probably between five and fourteen, it was hard to tell since they all looked so malnourished.
To satisfy her curiosity she approached them to get a better look at their faces, and saw eyes staring back at her own. She saw the emotions of fear, surprise, and wonder through those young orbs but most of all she saw exhaustion.
A young child, perhaps six years old stood from their pile and walked towards her, "What are you doing here?" His petite voice made her freeze at the sound, it was so innocent. She made no reply and instead looked into his bright eyes that were filled with a sort of shine, "It's not so warm in here..."
What was wrong with this dream? Everything felt so real, it was as if she was truly in a world where she was being confronted by a little boy where six other children sat behind him. It was simply unnatural.
She took another glance at the boy and saw that he was awaiting for her answer, "Umm, I actually don’t, uh, know... why I'm here." it was strange to willingly say something to a made up dream character. Perhaps when she awoke she would not remember these children ever again.
The boy looked at her as if she was one of the most strange beings in the world, "That's weird! You're the one who went here so you should know why! What's your name?" the boy asked, it was a bit rude how he called her ways 'weird' but he was still a child.
The woman could feel the stares of the older children and backed away to a nearby wall to sit down, "Is it okay if you call me..." she should probably think of a fake name, "Orphan? It's not my real name but we could go with It." it was not so creative but it was not as if they were actual children who had minds of their own.
It seemed that the boy had deemed her safe because he had ran to sit right next to her, "That's weird, Orphan isn't exactly a proper name. I'm an orphan but nobody called me Orphan. You're so weird." the way the boy said 'weird' was a bit offensive but maybe that was his way of being friendly to her, and Orphan isn't a proper name because she just made it up.
The boy started to lean against her, and to 'Orphan' he was very warm, "If your name isn't orphan then what is it?" his skin was as soft as a baby's.
With much enthusiasm, he shouted to her, “Me? I don’t have a name! I don’t need one!”
No name? Orphan guessed that it wasn't uncommon among children with no parents, it wasn't her right to judge, "I think that you need a name because it gives you a solid identity, even though your name is common you would be remembered." she was having a conversation with an imaginary boy, it was a strange feeling.
No-name stared at the ground with a thoughtful expression, well as thoughtful as a six year old could be, and said, "Wow, that's weird but I kind of want a name now! Can you give me a name?"
Orphan did not expect to that, it was a bit big to ask for someone like her. She had absolutely no experience with naming children, but she did it anyway, "I could name you White, would you like that?" that seemed a bit racist but it had another meaning.
He perhaps did not like it because he made a sour face, "That's weird! I don't want to have a weird name!"
It was a really good name though, Orphan thought, "Wouldn't it be better if you were named 'White'? It's unique so no one would ever confuse you with anyone else." Yep. She had no creativity when it came to naming things or people.
What she said managed to convince him because what he felt about it did a complete 180 degrees, "Really? Then I want that name!" it wasn't hard to convince a child, you just had to sprinkle a little sugar but what she said wasn't a lie.
Why did she choose the name White instead of all the other options? Well it's because when she looked into his eyes she saw nothing but pureness. Orphan saw absolute innocence and obliviousness to the world, an untouched soul. That would probably change in the future but for now he was what he was.
"Can I lie down on you? You're very warm!" the newly named White said, already inching closer to her lap.
It didn't seem like there was anything wrong with complying with his request, and so she raised her arms and brought him to sit. It was said that mothers were natural body heaters because they had children that were easily chilled, she wasn't a mother so perhaps she wasn't as soothing in temperature.
White sniffed her shirt and grinned, "You smell nice!" that was a compliment that many would take the wrong way, but he was just a boy so he did not know what he was saying.
With her hand on his head she smiled, "Thanks..."
"Can we sleep next to you too?" it was the voice of the youngest adolescent among the teenagers.
If she was their age and abandoned in the middle of nowhere, Orphan would love a hug or a nap beside a warm person who wouldn't hurt them, "Of course." there was no reason for her to object.
Together, one by one all the children started to sleep on top of her, and it was pretty difficult because of their amount. Soon, Orphan herself had started to feel sleep, and it wasn't long until she had succumbed into the depths of slumber. She made a mental laugh at the thought of falling asleep, after all she was already in a dream.
The thin worn out blanket that the children were previously using before her arrival was left on the floor, with none to use it.
When orphan had awoken she was no longer covered with orphan children, but was back in her empty room on her single bed. Like a puppet with strings she got up, fixed herself, and went on with her regular routine all the while thinking about her dream.
Orphan thought that when she woke up she would forget everything, but instead she remembered every single detail. Did it really happen? Was it a memory that she was seeing again? She was sure that she would be able to remember something like that, because it was probably the strangest thing she could ever encounter.
Appearing in an old abandoned building that looked like an exact replica of her old orphanage, save for the decor, and taking a nap with seven children she saw making a human hill. It's as strange as it could get.
She checked the date and saw it was Sunday, with that she sighed. Work had gotten her so occupied that Orphan was working overtime on a Saturday, but it was not like she had anything else to do. There was nothing to complain about.
As Orphan made herself a cup of hot coffee she looked out the window, it was snowing. In her dream it was snowing too, was her dream related to reality? Of course it was, dreams were based on your imagination and your memories.
It was no wonder those children were huddling together with a small blanket, they were cold. How was she not able to notice that? A little worried, she wondered if they were okay. It took her another second to remember that it was just a dream, of course they were okay.
In reality, the thought of seven children alone by themselves, living alone in an abandoned building, in the middle of a snowstorm, and nothing to cover them but a small blanket made a very depressing feeling.
Today was her free time, so it wouldn't hurt her if she went back to bed. After she sipped the very last drop of her coffee and place it on the sink, Orphan went to her room. Pulling the covers over her body, she switched to a comfortable position.
When she was young she wasn't like other children, other children would play and have fun. Orphan worked and studied, she had no time to do anything like that when she wanted to accomplish her dream. The kids that stayed with her in the orphanage pretended that they had a family and that they were not without love, but she chose to embrace how she truly was; alone.
Nobody wanted to play with the weird girl, the one always on her bed by herself. It was creepy, and they thought it was bad luck to touch her. I'm sure that they would think different in the present, wherever they were.
Why was she even thinking about this? All she wanted was to sleep but these negative thoughts kept drifting into her mind, and so Orphan cleared her head. Slowly, she started to drift away from reality and into her own little world.
When Orphan opened her eyes she felt as if there were tons of stone on her limbs, and it was not a comfortable feeling. When her vision had cleared she noticed that his surroundings were very much different from when she had fallen asleep. She was back in the place where she named the little boy White.
This surprised her very much, because most of the time people don't even have the same dream twice. Sometimes they do, but not exactly the next time they fall asleep.
Orphan stood up and stretched her muscles, they were stiff. Looking around she could not see the children, nor was she in the same place. She got up from her place and looked around the building again, nothing has changed from the last time dreamed.
She found a random room where there was another straw bed, but it was not the same one as when she had first entered the dream. Orphan decided to sit down, a bit exhausted with the endless amount of questions running around in her head. It did not feel like she was getting any energy from sleeping, in fact she felt as if she wasn't sleeping at all.
There was a window in the room, and the scene outside was of woodland trees covered with a layer of snow. It was peaceful and serene, quiet beautiful.
"You're awake..." a girl entered the room seemingly out of nowhere, "Are you not comfortable? It's very cold in this room." Orphan recognized this girl to be the oldest of the children, the one who asked permission to sleep right next to her.
"No, I'm okay..." indeed it was cold and she had just realized it, she thought that if she stayed any longer than a few minutes she could catch a frostbite.
This young teenage girl was probably at the age of fourteen, if Orphan guessed right. Her dark brown curls of hair were knotted from months of no combing, her eyes the color of ebony looked into her own, and her tanned skin that did not match with the scene of winter. She wore nothing but a brown dress that was worn out over time, not even shoes to protect her from the icy floor.
The girl knelt in front of Orphan, making sure that the thin material of her dress covered her legs, "Are you from around here?"
Orphan held her knees, the floor and walls looked as if they were made out of fine wood but over time they had become food for the termites, "I guess you could say that."
"Why would you lie about your name?" the girl narrowed her eyes towards the stranger, "I have many questions for you, one of them asking if you are a wanted burglar. I am suspicious of you, and don't think I let my guard down when I was sleeping next to you." she revealed a knife that she had been hiding behind her back for who knows how long, "I was waiting for you to make a move that would make me want to kill you."
Dangerous, very, very dangerous, "I mean you no harm! I've just wandered into this building for shelter from the winter!" it was a lie but Orphan hoped it would stop the teenager from killing her.
The girl stood up from her kneeling position and continued to look at her with wary eyes, "I will allow you to stay here, but if you make one move to hurt any of the other children here I will slit your throat." with that she walked away from Orphan, her feet making the floor creak and groan, "Since you're going to be here for a while I might as well introduce you to everyone."
Orphan followed her and felt her hands sting, looking down she saw that they were already a pale blue in color. Ignoring it, she continued to walk going through twists and turns in the orphanage until they reached to what she remembered as the lobby.
Unlike her memories, it did not have a shiny marble floor or bouncy red sofas but the same paneling of wood and single hard chairs. Even though living in the orphanage was horrible, she could not disagree that this was place was worse than the original.
In the center of the lobby was a rug big enough for a pile of children to rest on, one of them the boy from before.
He peeked out from his place under the pile of bodies and took a glimpse of Orphan, "Orphan, you're still here!" he pushed his way out of his siblings and ran to her side, "I thought you were going to leave right after sleeping here, so it's weird that you didn't!"
It was still dark when she had first seen White, so Orphan was not able to take a proper look of his face, but now that it was daylight she was able to observe.
His hair was light blonde and straight, his eyes were the lightest shade of green, and his baby skin was covered with the color of angry red that came from the frost bites. Just like the teenage girl, he wore clothes that resembled rags to keep him from freezing.
She held the small hand that he extended out to her, and stared at the children who were trying to keep warm on the mat that was probably as cold as the floor, "Of course I didn't leave, White, I was just sleeping for a while." when the other kids noticed her stare, they returned it with equal power as if they were animals trying to prove their worth, "She was about to introduce me to your friends." Orphan said gesturing to the teenager behind her.
White tilted his head, "They don't actually have names, but they have code names... that counts right?" he asked.
"I guess it does..."
White grabbed her arms and dragged her towards his friends, "I want you to meet them right away!" when Orphan was close enough she sat in the center of a circle of seven children.
His small, tender hand, although covered with frost, somehow felt warm and sunny over her cold and bleak skin. Perhaps this dream was not a bad thing, maybe it was here for the greater good.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
